For anyone interested in helping the animals affected by this disaster:

The La Vega Veterinary Clinic has received four animals so far, is expecting at least two more, and they will be in need of donations. People are not being allowed back in to the evacuation zone, so the true extent of animal needs are unknown at this point.

MONEY is always the best thing to donate during disaster response, so that the people on the ground can buy exactly what they need at any moment as the response needs change. Please send checks directly to:

La Vega Veterinary Clinic
555 East Loop 340
Bellmead, Texas 76705

361
posted on 04/18/2013 8:48:37 AM PDT
by BagCamAddict
(Yes, there is enough compassion in the world to care about humans AND animals at the same time.)

I feel safe saying this was not terrorism, this was an accident plain and simple. The facility was already on fire before it exploded and the local authorities knew it was going to explode shortly before it did which is why they were busy evacuating the area.

They just didn’t know it would explode so quickly, and couldn’t notify enough people with enough time. The heros were probably the firefighters who stayed behind in the area trying to fight to fire. They no doubt bought (with their lives) many people time to evacuate to a safer distance.

1:31 p.m. ET: The National Response Team of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, along with ATF special agents from the Houston Field Division, has been activated to join the investigation of the West Fertilizer Plant fire.

This has been a week of loss and tragedy for the nation, Acting Special Agent in Charge of ATF Houston Field Division Crisanto Perez said today. ATF is committed to working alongside state and local law enforcement by bringing its expertise to determine the origin and cause of this horrific incident. ATF will provide whatever resources necessary to thoroughly investigate and provide answers.

1:00 p.m. ET: Speaking at a press conference, Texas Gov. Rick Perry told reporters that the air, as well as the pipelines in the area, are being constantly monitored, and that gas distribution to homes has been disconnected. Gas connections will be double and triple checked before service is restored, Perry said.

Last night was truly a nightmare scenario for that community, Perry said. West is a really small community. And just a few thousand people. Anyone who grew up in a small town like West, they know that this tragedy has most likely hit every family, and has touched practically everyone in that town. I ask all Texans and Americans to join me and [his wife] Anita in keeping them in our prayers.

11:40 a.m. ET: Speaking to reporters, Waco police spokesman Sgt. William Patrick Swanton said that more than 160 people have been injured, possibly more.

Id imagine thats increased at this point, he said.

Swanton also clarified that earlier reports of looting in the area were overestimated, and that there was only one instance of a looter.

I have confirmed at least there was an incident last night when they thought they may have had a looter, he said. It was an isolated incident.

Destruction in the area had varied, Swanton said.

It ranges from broken windows to complete devastation. There are homes that are no longer homes walls were ripped off, roofs were peeled back.

Swanton told reporters that the cool weather in the area has been helpful, but officials want to rescue survivors before rain increases.

As the hours go by with the temp getting cooler, with rain here, we certainly want to find folks, if theyre in the environment, injured. Numerous search teams are searching as rapidly as they can to save these people, he said.

More from The Guardian’s Tom Dart, who has been speaking with people in West, Texas throughout the day.

Standing outside The Village Shoppe, broom in hand, Joyce Beaubien said that she is concerned for a friend and former neighbour who works at the plant. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with her,” she said.

“People here are really shocked. The firefighters are all volunteers, they all live here, their families are here, it’s just so devastating to people who’ve lived here all their lives.”

“It’s really devastating for a little town like this where nothing ever happens  except sometimes a person might get a little drunk.”

The retired medical secretary, who now works part-time in the store, said that new housing as the town expanded in the past two decades meant the plant was no longer isolated as it used to be.

“The fertilizer plant was out in the country and they just built around it when I guess they shouldn’t have,” she said.

Norma Talbott arrived at the store with her mother-in-law, Vi, who was in her house only a short walk from the plant when the disaster struck.

Norma said she had driven from Plano, near Dallas, to look after the 83-year-old, who suffered a cut and bruising.

“She has no doors, no windows, no ceiling. We have not been allowed back in and I don’t know when we will be,” Norma said. “Her neighbour got her out... She has the clothes on her back and her wallet.”

2.18pm ET

University of Alabama at Birminghams spam-monitoring lab said that spammers are taking advantage of the Texas explosion to infect computers with malware.

Galvan said that she was shopping at a Walmart in a nearby town at the time of the explosion and saw goods tumble off the shelves.

“We thought it was lightning that hit. People were running every which way,” she said.

Sarah Gardner, whose grandparents own an apartment complex near the plant, said that she “thinks everyone got out.”

She said that of 22 units housing families or individuals, up to 20 might have been occupied at the time of the explosion. Between half and 75% of residents were accounted for so far, she added.

The building, however, she fears is “a total loss”, little more now than a frame.

1.01pm ET
On the scene

The Guardian’s Tom Dart is has arrived on the scene and sends this rerport. He says the blocks surrounding the plant remain closed off, with police blocking traffic from passing. Main roads are busy with traffic, media trucks and American Red Cross incident support units mingling with a steady stream of pickup trucks.

Shivering from the cold as he stood outside the family’s restaurant, Nors Sausage and Burger House, Matt Nors reflected on his sister’s lucky escape.

“My sister was really close to it,” he said, adding that she lives within 500 yards of the blast. “I haven’t seen the house but supposedly it’s demolished,” he said.

Nors lives five miles from West. “The first thing that went into my mind was a nuclear bomb,” he said. “I was standing in my garage flipping meat on the grill. The shock wave felt like somebody hit me in the gut.”

Inside the restaurant, his father, Bernie, said that he knew four firefighters who had been killed. “They were fighting the fire when it blew up,” he said.

He lives four miles away, next to a field. “When it blew up you could see the shock wave hit the wheat field, boom,” he said.

Matt Nors said that West is “really close-knit. Real family-oriented. Something like this happens, there’s no shortage of help.”

He said that the potential danger of living so close to the plant was never a consideration in a rural community that depends on agriculture for jobs. “It’s never been a concern. This was never even a thought, an issue,” he said.

We are reaching out to all that would like to assist with the West, TX emergency that occurred on Wednesday, April 17.

We have received information regarding the rescue efforts and emergency needs:

At this time, the entire area surrounding the devastating explosion has been closed,while investigators and rescue teams secure the scene and continue their investigations.

For everyone’s safety and to not impede on their difficult investigation, please DO NOT ATTEMPT to enter this area for any reason. For those that would like to assist or donate supplies for the animals involved in this horrific disaster, you may bring donations directly to any of our locations. For supplies received that are not needed directly to those involved in the West explosion and fires, rest assured, anything donated will be utilized to assist animals in need; i.e. families, animals in West or will be used here or shared with other groups. HSNT’s continued response to these situations are dependent on our continued support from a wonderful community of people like you.

HSNT is currently on standby to assist as needed,and as soon as we receive the ‘okay’ to dispatch our team with supplies, we will update everyone at that time.

We have also set up a temporary ‘hotline number’ for those with animal questions pertaining to West.

***HSNT WEST HOTLINE NUMBER***
GEORGIA MUNION
817-891-2264

*To Donate Supplies for Animals: (money, crates, food, blankets, medical)
1840 East Lancaster
Fort Worth, TX
(Please take all donations to our ‘bay area’ located on Grafton Street directly behind our dog adoptions area. There will be a staff member directly available to assist with your donation.)

A fertilizer mixing plant adjacent to an agricultural community is their probably because that is where the utilities are, the road networks converge, and a site which can handle commercial trucking. In rural agricultural communities, the towns form to provide commonly needed services and supplies to the agricultural industry in the area.

The rest home and apartments probably sprung up as amenities to the location of their work and requisite logistics, close to family members and their communities.

In most cases a furlong (660ft) to 1200 ft setback from nearly any occupancy in the codes is more than adequate to meet codes.

Multiple systems had to fail for the disaster to occur.

Note, that even with the siding and roofs peeled back, many of the structures are still standing.

They probably have far greater risk from tornadoes than explosions.

374
posted on 04/18/2013 6:35:45 PM PDT
by Cvengr
(Adversity in life and death is inevitable. Thru faith in Christ, stress is optional.)

If anyone of us made stuff in our home that if things went wrong could kill neighbors a quarter mile away we’d spend the rest of our lives in prison as a terrorist.

Until greed or stupidity is eliminated we need regulations that will hold accountable those who own the business. I’ve always said that regulations would be unnecessary if owners and CEOs were forced to live next door to the business. The CEO should be in Guantonimo.

If the fertilizer plant already blew up, why would you want to coax people out of their homes? The risk is past.

Well, we did say, "coax". Not 'force'.

I think you may be assuming that officials are looking to get people out of their homes who haven't been injured, have no property damage, and who aren't traumatized in any way. I don't think that's the case.

Also, the comment is now close to 24 hours old. Things have changed quite a bit on the scene since then. I'm sure that initially, officials simply didn't know whether there'd be more explosions, and just wanted people to evacuate the area for their safety.

376
posted on 04/18/2013 7:12:08 PM PDT
by Windflier
(To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)

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